|
Four recent Utah deaths in
treatment programs
Facility put on probation, but
free to take new clients
October 13, 2007
A residential
youth treatment center was cited on Friday for providing inadequate
medical care to Brendan James Blum, a 14-year-old California boy who
died at its Draper facility.
Utah licensers placed Youth Care of Utah on probation, requiring the
center to, among other requirements, retool employee training. Youth
Care was not fined and it is free to accept new clients, though no
more than five every 30 days.
The disciplinary action was reached as part of a settlement between
the facility and lawyers for the state Human Services Office of
Licensing, which regulates Utah's teen-help industry.
Licensing director Ken Stettler said he hopes Friday's action shows
the state takes its watchdog role seriously. It comes a day after
criminal neglect charges were filed against two former Youth Care
counselors in connection with Brendan's June 28 death.
It also coincides with a congressional probe into wilderness camps,
which detailed thousands of cases of abuse nationwide since 1990. Of
10 deaths detailed in the federal report, five occurred in Utah.
The cases showed a pattern of lax government oversight and medical
neglect, with counselors assuming the teens were making up their
symptoms.
Brendan Blum's mother, Dana Blum, fears the same issues may have
played a role in her son's death.
Blum said she "feels" for the
employees at Youth Care, but said the facility should have been shut
down, at least temporarily, and the owners held accountable.
"Nothing will bring Brendan back," said Blum. "But the bottom line
is that when a parent makes a difficult decision to place their
child in a treatment program, the management and caretakers have a
responsibility to ensure their safety. There shouldn't be any
tolerance for the death of a child."
Sent to bed
Blum said the coroner described her son's death as "violent and
painful." An autopsy concluded that he died after his bowel twisted,
cutting off the blood supply to his small intestine.
Brendan had vomited and been suffering diarrhea all night, according
to police. Instead of phoning the on-call nurse, per Youth Care's
policy, counselors treated the boy with an over-the-counter medicine
and sent him to bed, said Draper police Sgt. Gerry Allred.
The next morning, Brendan, who had Asperger's syndrome, a form of
autism, was found dead on his mattress.
The on-call nurse, who was later interviewed by police, said had she
been consulted, she would have advised sending Brendan to the
hospital, said Allred. The Utah State Medical Examiner said with
medical intervention, the boy might have survived.
'Flu-like' symptoms
Youth Care officials maintain Brendan complained only of "flu-like"
symptoms.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family, and we continue to
work closely with Utah officials and law enforcement. But we are
confident a criminal prosecution will be found unwarranted," said
Kristen Hayes, spokeswoman for Aspen Education Group, which owns
Youth Care.
Based in Cerritos, Calif., Aspen is a division of the CRC Health
Group, which runs boarding schools, outdoor education programs and
weight-loss camps.
For two decades, Youth Care has "delivered the highest standards of
care," treating more than 1,300 children with behavioral and
addiction problems last year, said Hayes. "All of Aspen's programs
either meet or exceed state and national standards."
Aspen's record
Stettler confirmed Aspen's reputation, saying, "They've had a pretty
spotless record."
Three of four recent deaths at Utah treatment programs, however,
happened at Aspen facilities: Blum's and two suicides; one in July
2004 at Island View Academy in Syracuse, and another in April at
Aspen Achievement Academy of Loa.
Stettler said the April suicide remains under investigation by law
enforcement, but his own probe found Aspen wasn't at fault. The
suicide at Island View happened before Aspen purchased the facility.
Blum said she thoroughly researched Youth Care and Aspen and was
never told of the fatalities.
"If nothing else, I would like to see them create a searchable
database so parents can review deaths and complaints and not have to
rely on the subjective descriptions of licensors," said Blum.
The Web site of state licensors has contact information for
facilities and shows whether their license is in good standing. But
for more detailed information, parents need to phone regulators, who
keep only paper files.
Sense of justice
Blum has "taken heat" for enrolling Brendan at Youth Care, but she
says research shows behavioral modification programs can work for
children with Asperger's.
"The real problem is there are not adequate community resources for
kids with mental health problems," said Blum.
Brendan was "erratic and unpredictable," and started acting
aggressively at age 3, said Blum. "There were no consequences that
were meaningful to him. You could take away privileges with friends,
TV, or PlayStation. It didn't matter."
Trips to her county mental health facility, school counselors and
private therapists yielded no firm diagnosis.
It wasn't until Brendan turned 13 and got swept up in the juvenile
justice system that doctors at a local university diagnosed him with
Asperger's.
"They said he was a textbook case of high-functioning autism and
should have been diagnosed at age 8," said Blum.
Brendan had a "fine-tuned sense of justice. As his mother, I feel I
need to make sure Youth Care is held accountable," said Blum.
"These kids come from families that care about them. They're not
just throwaway kids."
kstewart@sltrib.com
|
|
Dana Blum relaxes with her son Brendan
at a miniature golf park.... (Photo courtesy Dana Blum )
Four deaths:
July 2, 2004
* Unnamed 16-year-old from
Pennsylvania * Island View Academy in Syracuse * The teen hanged
himself in a bathroom after excusing himself from a movie. Staff
believed he was in his room, but the youth entered the bathroom from
a private entrance in his room. When staff found him, they
unsuccessfully tried to revive him. The facility was cited for minor
issues and required to submit a plan of "corrective action."
July 16, 2006
* Elisa Santry, 16 * Colorado-based
program Outward Bound * The teen died on the 16th day of a 22-day
backpacking and rafting expedition in a rugged Utah desert near
Canyonlands National Park. She had been missing for five hours in
110-degree heat.
April 2007
* Unidentified 16-year-old * Aspen
Achievement Academy in Loa * The teen attempted to hang himself with
a shoelace from a tree at the ranch. He had asked to use the
latrine, and when he didn't respond to prompts from staff, they went
looking for him, found him unconscious and revived him. He died in a
helicopter transport en route to the hospital. The case is still
under investigation.
June 28, 2007
* Brendan James Blum, 14 * Youth
Care of Utah in Draper * Blum died of a bowel obstruction. That
night, he lost bowel control, vomited and complained of stomach
pain. He was given over-the-counter medicine. In violation of the
center's policy, staff did not call the on-call nurse or seek
emergency medical attention. Two counselors were fired and charged
with child neglect. Utah regulators placed Youth Care of Utah on
probation. It remains free to enroll new clients.
|
